حياة الناس أشبه بشجيرات في غابة، تخنقها أشجار متسلقة. و ليست الأشجار المتسلقة سوى أفكار و عقائد عتيقة غرسها الموتى - Sherwood Anderson

The beginning of the most materialistic age in the history of the world, when wars would be fought without patriotism, when men would forget God and only pay attention to moral standards, when the will to power would replace the will to serve and beauty would be well-nigh forgotten in the terrible headlong rush of mankind toward the acquiring of possessions...

Never did he succeed in getting what he wanted out of life and he did not know what he wanted.

To be civilized, really, is to be aware of the others, their hopes, their gladnesses, their illusions about life.